Since I interviewed guitarist Noel Hogan for the initial album release, I'm very anxious to hear the unreleased songs...
“Sometimes, it feels like it's only been a few years ago and other times it feels like an eternity. There are lots of memories still fresh in our minds. It's hard to believe it's been 30 years since its release,” says The Cranberries drummer Fergal Lawler about the 30th anniversary of their landmark second album No Need to Argue.
The band is celebrating the anniversary with a 2LP Deluxe Edition, 2CD Deluxe Edition, 1LP, 1CD and Digital Deluxe released on August 15 via Island/UMe (go to thecranberries.com for full detailed track listings).
Originally released on October 3, 1994 via Island Records, No Need To Argue serves as the commercial breakthrough for the band, led by global success of its signature single “Zombie.” Featuring the late Dolores O’Riordan on vocals, The Cranberries had no trouble writing music for their follow-up to their worldwide multi-platinum breakthrough debut Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can’t We?
“There was no ‘difficult second album syndrome’,” says Lawler. “Dolores didn’t have any problems writing on the road and in fact was bursting with ideas. Often when a song was completed it’d go straight into the live set, so audiences got to hear a lot of the No Need To Argue songs way before they were recorded. I remember playing ‘Zombie’, for instance, early in 1993 on our first European tour with Hothouse Flowers. By the time the chorus came around for the second time, you could feel the reaction in the room. People just loved it from the get-go.”
Written about the political unrest in Ireland called “The Troubles” that lasted from the late 1960s to 1998, “Zombie” reflected on the innocent children who were killed due to the violence that erupted. "People say we shouldn't have done 'Zombie' but, excuse me, I'm Irish. I'm a human being,” explained O’Riordan about the song. “I'm allowed to have feelings about the North, the same way I'm allowed to have feelings about what's going on in Bosnia. I express those feelings in my songs. It's up to people whether they want to listen to them or not.”
The special limited-edition 3LP vinyl package includes a previous unreleased demo of “Zombie”, live recordings from Woodstock ’94, and MTV Unplugged which originally aired April 18, 1995. “It was an honour to do MTV Unplugged and I’m really proud that our songs didn’t need all the bells and whistles you get in the studio to sound good,” explains Lawler. “They worked just as well, stripped down and played acoustically, albeit with the help of the brilliant Electra Strings.”
Also included are two remixes by Scottish producer and CHVRCHES band member Iain Cook – the dancefloor ready “Zombie” and a much dreamier “Ode To My Family.” Recalls Lawler of the remixes, “Iain was very nervous about doing ‘Zombie’ because of its legacy. I told him not to worry about what other people think and just go for it. Originally, he went down the traditional Irish music route but then decided to do something dance-ier, which has worked out brilliantly.”
Cook’s reinvention of “Ode To My Family” took on a dreamier route. “There’s a groove on the original when the chorus comes in, which he leant into,” adds Lawler. “You’ll be nodding your head and tapping your feet for sure! Iain also added strings so, again, it turned out great.”
Often cited as the album that helped cement Irish music in the worldwide musical conversation, No Need to Argue saw the critical darlings (whose debut Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can’t We? introduced the band to the masses) embraced by a global audience due to the album’s universal appeal. No Need to Argue boasted a number of singles including “Ode To My Family”, “I Can’t Be With You”, “Ridiculous Thoughts”, “Dreaming My Dreams” and, of course, “Zombie” which reached No. 1 in Australia, Denmark, France, Belgium, Germany, and topped Billboard’s Alternative Airplay chart and whose video counts an astounding 1.6B plays on YouTube. It was also crowned “Song of the Year” at 1995’s MTV Europe Music Awards.
The album’s enduring popularity keeps the band at the forefront of the mainstream’s consciousness, especially with the impact of “Zombie.” Whether being covered by Miley Cyrus at the Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood or belted out by a stadium full of Ireland rugby fans who’ve adopted it as their match day anthem, those tanks and bombs and guns stir the emotions as much now as they did then.
But “Zombie” wasn’t the only track that is singled out by pop culture. “Ode To My Family” even found its way into a 2019 episode of Family Guy with Peter – who was particularly fond of the “Doo doo doo”–ing – telling Lois: “You know once I hear that I can’t get it out of my head!” In fact, songs from No Need To Argue have been showing up in The Office (US), Pitch Perfect 3, Clueless, Yellowjackets, Army Of The Dead, Roswell, New Mexico and more.
Described by producer Stephen Street as “a beautiful collection of people working together with the right intentions,” The Cranberries’ vigor and familial chemistry exudes throughout the album. “Call it youthful arrogance but we knew the songs we’d written were good and couldn’t wait to get them down,” adds guitarist Noel Hogan. “Stephen had bought a camcorder that we spent a lot of time messing around with in The Manor and you can see in the videos how happy and chilled everyone was. The mood in the camp was really, really good and it never felt like work.”
The one indelible mark The Cranberries upholds is their love and belief in their own music. The endurance of that message is the pinnacle of their legacy. “I really think that what makes people tune into The Cranberries is the honesty of the music,” O’Riordan is quoted as saying. “Some fans say, ‘Aren’t you embarrassed singing about such things?’ and I say, ‘That’s what makes me what I am.’ I’m not going to change for anyone.’”
SUPER DIGITAL DELUXE TRACKLISTING:
1. Ode To My Family (2025 Remastered)
2. I Can't Be With You (2025 Remastered)
3. Twenty One (2025 Remastered)
4. Zombie (2025 Remastered)
5. Empty (2025 Remastered)
6. Everything I Said (2025 Remastered)
7. The Icicle Melts (2025 Remastered)
8. Disappointment (2025 Remastered)
9. Ridiculous Thoughts (2025 Remastered)
10. Dreaming My Dreams (2025 Remastered)
11. Yeat's Grave (2025 Remastered)
12. Daffodil Lament (2025 Remastered)
13. No Need To Argue (2025 Remastered)
14. Ode To My Family (Iain Cook Remix)
15. Zombie (Iain Cook Remix)
16. Zombie (Demo Version)
17. I Can't Be With You {Live From Woodstock 94'}
18. Ridiculous Thoughts {Live From Woodstock 94'}
19. Daffodil Lament {Live From Woodstock 94'}
20. Away
21. I Don't Need
22. So Cold In Ireland
23. (They Long To Be) Close To You
24. Zombie - Camel's Hump Mix
25. Song To My Family (Magic Shop Demo)
26. So Cold In Ireland (Magic Shop Demo)
27. Empty (Magic Shop Demo)
28. Ridiculous Thoughts (Magic Shop Demo)
29. Everything I Said (Magic Shop Demo)
30. Yeat's Grave (Magic Shop Demo)
31. Serious (Demo)
32. Away (Demo)
33. I Don't Need (Demo)
34. Dreaming My Dreams (Live At Royal Court Theatre, Liverpool, UK/1994)
35. Daffodil Lament (Live At Royal Court Theatre, Liverpool, UK/1994)
36. The Icicle Melts (Live At Royal Court Theatre, Liverpool, UK/1994)
37. No Need To Argue (Live At Royal Court Theatre, Liverpool, UK/1994)
38. Empty (Live At Royal Court Theatre, Liverpool, UK/1994)
39. I Can't Be With You (Live From Milton Keynes)
40. Ridiculous Thoughts (Live From Milton Keynes)
41. Zombie (Live From Milton Keynes)
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